By Robert Greenwald, P.Eng. and President of Prism Engineering
As a hockey fan and an energy management practitioner, I started wondering: How is Energy Management like hockey? A review of a hockey team’s key roles provides some interesting comparisons.
Let’s delve into them:
The General Manager (GM)
The GM determines the direction of the team, assembles the players, and sets the tone for the type of play. Will it be an offensive or defensive team this year? Will the team be built around one or two superstars or a group of equally talented players? The GM provides the direction for the coach, players, and management team.
For a successful energy management program, the organization’s senior management position (CEO or President) needs to set the tone for the importance of energy management to the organization. This person demonstrates this through leadership by example, communicating and inspiring the organization to strive for energy improvements.
The Coach
Coaches organize the players so that the sum is greater than the parts. They determine which players work best together and build on their strengths. They have a strategy and set objectives for the season, each part of the season, and each game. They meet with support staff, players, and management to adjust the strategy and deal with challenges that come up. As facilitators, they try to get the best out of each player.
In many organizations, the “Energy Manager” is the Coach of the Energy Management Team. They track the progress each day and move short-term and longer-term energy objectives forward. Using the Energy Management Plan as a playbook, they organize the various parts of the energy team and ensure open communication.
The Energy Manager solicits feedback from others, but ultimately, it is their responsibility to move the program’s initiatives forward. Like a coach of a hockey team, the Energy Manager is not satisfied with the status quo and is always looking for opportunities to improve.
The Defence
A strong defence is one key to winning a championship. The Defence needs to monitor all activities on the ice and be ready to respond to any lapses in the performance of other team members.
For an Energy Team, defence is about identifying waste. When are we using energy when we don’t need to? What lighting is on when the room is empty? What computers are on when the computer lab is empty? What room temperatures are set higher than required, causing excess heating energy? What walls, roofs, doors, and windows have gaps or holes where heat is lost?
The Defence wants to keep the puck in the opposition zone, just as the Energy Management Team needs to reduce waste.
The Forwards
Hockey Forwards need to score goals. The focus is on offence—passing the puck to achieve a clear opening to the net and taking their best shot on the net.
For energy management, the offence is about efficiency improvements. How can we use the energy that is currently consumed more efficiently? The Energy Team scores the goals by replacing equipment with more efficient products and technology. This may involve installing premium-efficiency lighting products, high-efficiency boilers, variable-speed compressors, or high-COP rooftop units.
Some new innovations, like LED lighting, are similar to the fibreglass carbon sticks available to hockey forwards today: they work better than traditional wooden sticks; however, they do tend to break in some instances. New technologies go through development cycles, and the ones that come out on top are both reliable and efficient.
The Goalie
The Goalie is the last line of defence. If the Goalie is distracted, loses focus, or does not perform, the puck will surely end up on the back of the net.
For the Energy Team, the Building Operator, Security Staff, or Cleaning Staff are the last ones around who can prevent waste. They spot opportunities at the end of the day, week, or season. These individuals walk through the building and find open windows, equipment left on, and cooling systems running in vacant rooms.
When a high school closes in early July for the summer holiday, are the pop machines, coffee machines, and walk-in freezers still running? When the retail tenants from the local mall close on Friday night, do the staff members know which procedures to follow for the HVAC system’s setback and store lighting?
The Energy Management Team needs the Goalie to eliminate waste.
The Captain
Some captains lead on the ice with their performance. Others may be slightly past their prime on the ice but lead in the dressing room by inspiring others to perform. Communication is key for this team leader to motivate others to act.
The Energy Team also needs a captain to lead communication. This person needs to raise awareness for the actions others can take to save energy and provide a reason for change, a consistent message, and feedback on the energy program’s performance.
Like the Captain of the hockey team, the Energy Team Captain needs to know when to fire up the troops and when a tap on the shoulder will do just fine. By communicating a consistent message, they can drive change in the corporate culture by changing one behaviour at a time.
The Training Staff
The Training Staff not only keeps the team healthy but also monitors their fitness. Often, they suggest new approaches to rehabilitation, like the hyperbaric chamber, to keep the players in top form. These team members research available nutrition and fitness approaches and stay on top of developments in the field.
For the Energy Team, training is critical to increasing competencies. Some tools, like the online training for building operators that we developed for BOMA BC, are available online for participants to take at their own pace from their own locations. Other energy management training includes multi-day training for Energy Managers and various single-day workshops and conferences.
By staying informed and increasing their energy management knowledge, members of the Energy Team are more effective at managing their resources. Energy management training is a key component of a successful program.
The Scout
The Scout is on the road, looking at new prospects. Some young players have talent, but they will not all make it to the big leagues. Sometimes the Scout takes a chance on a talented player and recommends him or her for the team.
The Energy Engineer or Manager will be looking for the next round of potential for the Energy Program as well.
More than likely, they are scouting alternative energy opportunities and giving them a tryout. Perhaps this is a pilot study on solar heating for the local motel that is looking to show customers their commitment to sustainability. Perhaps an office building manager is looking for a solar-powered parking lot area light or signage. All show promise, but only the mature technologies will remain. The Energy Manager needs to be aware of current and upcoming alternative sources of energy.
The Capologist
This is a new position in the big leagues as unions and management have moved to limit the spending abilities of the billionaire owners who can not seem to limit themselves (kind of like how my wife limits my chocolate intake). The Capologist knows the numbers—what each player’s salary is, how it adds up to the team’s cap, the impact of injuries on the cap, how trades will impact the team’s numbers, and how other teams are doing with respect to the cap as well.
For the Energy Team, watching consumption regularly is also critical. A monitoring, targeting, and reporting system (MT&R) is critical to actively and effectively managing energy use. The Energy Manager needs to know what the trends have been and why, what has caused recent energy changes, and who to report to.
Like the Capologist, this person monitors some trends daily, like the electrical demand, and others on a regular basis, like monthly energy consumption and costs. Sometimes penalties occur, like power factor penalties, late charges, and demand spikes and, just like the Capologist, they need to take quick action to rectify the situation. Innovative programs such as the BC Hydro continuous improvement program merge MT&R with real time feedback of energy to develop a “continuous commissioning” process.
The Medical Doctor
Puck in the face? Charley horse? Sometimes, players get injured and need medical care during the game, between games, and during the off-season.
Energy Consultants play that role for the Energy Management Team. They bring tools and expertise to help. Even large organizations with full-time energy managers rely on energy consultants and their expertise. The consultant may bring ideas, calculation tools, expertise, and knowledge to the energy program. Just like a medical doctor, it makes common sense to bring in specialists when required.
The Power Play
It is beautiful to see a power play that clicks: the pucks move crisply from one stick to the next, back and forth until success…a goal!
That’s the feeling I have at the completion of an energy project: seeing the result and the savings from the retrofit project is like the goal of the power play!
This is a chance for the team members to feel good about their work, celebrate with high fives, and then get down to business as the game continues. Celebrating success is a key component of a long-term and sustainable energy management program.
Slumps
Sometimes even the best teams get into a slump and don’t win every game.
Similarly, in an energy management project, not every project will turn out the way you want it to. Real winners confront problems and look for ways to make the best of the situation. Strong leadership and determination are required to get back on track.
The Holy Grail
Every NHL team wants to win the Stanley Cup, and every team at the Olympics wants that Gold Medal. They focus their energy and work towards this goal throughout the season. Training, teamwork, and focusing on the objective are all keys to success.
A successful energy management program needs to set goals to motivate, inspire, and target.
The goals are shared with others and provide a common thrust for everyone involved. Objectives are then set for each “period” so that the goals can be broken down into logical pieces. Tasks are then assigned to members of the Energy Team to ensure that there are responsibilities assigned with specific time projections.
The Team
Some of the best players have not won a championship. They try their best but do not have support from others to achieve their ultimate goal.
Like a star player, no one individual can achieve success in energy management without the support of others. A university campus needs energy champions in each building to raise awareness and share concrete actions with building occupants. It needs maintenance staff to keep condensers clear of debris, filters changed, and setpoints optimized. It also needs building occupants like faculty and students who are aware of the impact their behaviour has on the campus footprint and care enough to do something about it.
What can we learn from comparing hockey and energy management?
An Energy Team is made up of individuals with various backgrounds, interests, and abilities who come together to make a difference and reduce their organization’s environmental impact.
As you can see, there are many similarities between a hockey team and an energy management program (although it may be tough to sell tickets for fans to see your energy management team in action).
The important point is that just like hockey, it must be a TEAM effort to achieve the ultimate success. Not just the superstar, not just the players, but a lot of others “behind the scenes” all working towards the same goal.
I hope your favourite hockey team achieves success this year. And I hope that you move forward with all the players on your Energy Team to enhance your organization’s sustainability through smarter use of energy in your facilities.
Interested in fine tuning your Energy Team?
Contact Prism’s Strategic Energy Management Team
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Interested in chatting hockey? Contact Robert 😉